The Fire Nation Ball
by jyvonne13
Summary: The gaang decides to bring back the Fire Nation Ball. What happens when Zuko decides to invite Azula, has his sister really changed? Katara finds that being with the Avatar comes with a lot more than she bargained for, Toph is struggling with whether she wants to have a date to the ball, and which one of the girls is pregnant?
1. Traditions

**I started writing this story such a long time ago and kind of lost the direction I was trying to go in with it. But I started thinking about it recently and decided this is something that I REALLY need to finish. I have to say, this is one of my favorite ATLA stories I've ever written (right after "Amnesia" which you should totally read!). **

**I hope you like this one just as much as I do. As always, leave a review. **

Chapter 1:

Traditions

"I win!" Toph exclaimed.

"You're a cheater!" Sokka said.

The gang was hanging out at Iroh's tea shop, The Jasmine Dragon, one afternoon playing a card game.

"Keep telling yourself that," Toph bragged. "The Blind Bandit never loses!"

Before a rematch could break out, Iroh walked over to them with a tray of hot tea. "You're all a little bit rowdy over here. I think you could use some tea to calm you down." He placed the tray on the table.

"Thank you Uncle," Zuko said. They all picked up a cup and took a sip.

"This is amazing!" Aang said.

"Leave it to Iroh to come up with the best tea blends," Suki said.

Iroh pulled up a chair to the table. "So what are all of your plans for the rest of the day."

"I'm going to go pick up Durk," Zuko said referring to his dragon.

"Where did you put him?" Toph asked.

"I took him to the Sun Warriors island," Zuko replied. "He needs to spend time with his own kind sometimes."

"Like a dragon play date," Katara said amused.

"I think that's very wise of you Zuko," Iroh said. "It's not like the old days anymore with dragons flying back and forth across the Fire Nation. It's good to have Durk socialize with his own kind."

"I can't imagine dragons all over the Fire Nation," Sokka said.

"Oh yes, there were dragons everywhere. They roamed free on the land coming and going as they pleased. It was before my time, but in the time of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin to see a dragon flying by your house on an afternoon was not uncommon."

"Avatar Roku had a dragon," Aang said. "I see him all the time in the spirit world."

"Avatar Roku's dragon was one of the most beautiful of its time. It was a peaceful time back then, before the dragons were wiped out. I told everyone that the dragons were dead to save them."

"That's very sad," Katara said. "The dragons were the first fire benders; you would think there would have been more respect for them."

"Power over takes respect for anything," Zuko pointed out.

"That's right," Iroh said. "I'm proud that you will be the fire lord to bring the dragons back Zuko."

"What else happened around here before everything went to hell?" Toph asked.

"Well there was the Fire Nation Ball," Iroh said.

"What's that?" Katara asked fascinated.

"Every year there would be a huge ball at the Fire Nation palace," Iroh explained. "It was the biggest event of the year. People from all over the world would attend. There would be dancing and food and it was a great time. During Sozin's reign, he made it so that only elite members of the Fire Nation could attend."

"We should bring that back," Suki said to Zuko.

"You think so?" he said.

"Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun. It'll be another way to unite everyone," Aang agreed.

Zuko thought for a moment. "Alright then. As soon as possible, we'll have a Fire Nation Ball."

"Oh wow, this is going to be so exciting!" Katara exclaimed.

"We have to get dresses," Suki said just as excited. "I know a tailor on Kyoshi Island, she can make _anything_. We have to go!"

"That's so cool!"

Toph snickered. "Why do we need to be all fancy?"

"Aw come on Toph, it's an excuse to dress up and be fancy," Katara said.

"There's no way I'm going to put on a dress I'm only going to wear one time just to dance around with some boy. I'm gonna go in this," she said gesturing to what she was wearing.


	2. Fire Lily

Chapter 2:

Fire Lily

A few days later, Aang and Sokka were walking through the market. Sokka was trying to find snacks, Aang was trying to find a gift for Katara.

"How about this?" he said holding up a chain of pearls.

"Katara likes pearls," Sokka said absentmindedly stuffing his face.

Aang put it back suddenly not feeling it. "I think I need to get something else."

"What, you don't trust my judgment? I know my sister, Aang."

"I know, but I want to get Katara something really special to ask her to go to the ball with me," Aang said as he scanned all of the stands trying to find something interesting.

"I thought it was already understood that Katara is going to the ball with you? I don't think you need to ask her."

"Well yeah, but I like doing special things for Katara," Aang said. He imagined the look on Katara's face when he showed her the gift and asked her to go to the ball with him…now he just needed something to give her.

"You're a hopeless romantic Aang."

Aang shrugged. "Romance is my middle name." He saw a stand up ahead where a woman was selling corsages. He picked up a delicate looking blue and purple one. "How much are these?"

"Twenty dollars," the woman said. "What's it for?"

"I'm asking my girlfriend to the Fire Nation Ball," Aang said proudly.

"Well I think the girlfriend of the Avatar deserves more than a little corsage, don't you?"

Aang's face fell. "You don't think she'll like it?"

"Anyone can get their girlfriend a corsage," she said with a shrug. "You need something really special."

"Like what?"

"I'll show you something." She pulled a little box out of her pocket and inside was the most beautiful, vibrant, red and orange flower Aang and Sokka had ever seen.

"Wow, where'd you get _that_?" Sokka said.

"It's a Fire Lily," the woman said.

"How much does it cost?" Aang asked.

"Oh you can't have this," she said closing the box.

"Why?"

"My late husband got this for me. He trekked for days into the mountains of the Fire Nation to get this. They're very rare these days. They say you can only get them in one meadow on the edge of the Fire Nation. My husband got me this 20 years ago, I'd imagine they'd be impossible to find now. No, you're better off with one of these corsages."

Aang thought of the fire lily and just how beautiful Katara would look with one of those in her hair. The more he thought of it, he had to get her one. Instead of responding to the woman's offer, he walked off.

Sokka followed him. "Aang?" He found his friend climbing onto Appa's back. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find a fire lily," Aang said simply.

"But the woman back there said they're impossible to find."

"Nothing is too impossible for Katara," Aang said. Appa flew into the air and within seconds Aang was gone.

*WW*

Aang was on a mission. He rode on Appa's back that afternoon with Momo sitting next to him. As he rode he looked below him where the Fire Nation cities sprawled. He looked carefully at everything below him but he couldn't find it.

"It's got to be around here somewhere guys," he said.

Momo started tugging on his shirt.

"Hold on buddy, I need to find this meadow," he said still looking below.

In frustration, Momo hopped on his shoulder and physically turned Aang's face to the left.

"That's it!" he exclaimed. "Momo, you're a genius! Full speed ahead Appa!"

They arrived at the meadow that was situated in the high mountains at the far edge of the Fire Nation. They soared closer to the ground but Aang couldn't find the flowers.

"Looks like we'll have to go on foot from here," he said.

They landed and walked for what seemed like hours but couldn't find the flowers. Aang sat on the ground feeling defeated. Momo sat on his lap and looked up at him sympathetically. "Maybe she was right Momo," Aang said sadly. "Maybe the fire lily's really are impossible to find."

Appa made a grunting sound.

"Yeah, I know Appa, it sucks that we came all this way and couldn't find a single fire lily. I might have been better off getting Katara the corsage."

Appa made the sound again.

"At least we can say we tried though right?" Aang said. "Imagine if there really were fire lily's and we never went to find them."

Appa got louder.

"Alright Appa, now you're really starting to bum me out. Chill."

Finally Appa picked him up by the collar of his shirt and turned him around.

"Appa, what the hell…?"

All of a sudden, at the edge of the trees, Aang saw something sparkling. "Is that it?" He ran towards it and sure enough there was a meadow of bright red and orange fire lily's spanning for at least a mile. They were canopied by trees and bushes, no wonder he hadn't been able to find them.

"This is amazing!" Aang exclaimed happily. "Now I just have to find the right one for Katara." He scanned the meadow looking for the biggest, most vibrant fire lily. After a few minutes, he saw one that stood out among all of the others. Katara's beauty stood out among everyone else's. She deserved the best fire lily he could find.

Just as he was about to pick one up a fireball was hurled at him. He jumped out of the way just in time. But when he looked around he didn't see anyone. Where did the fireball come from?

"Who's there?" Aang said looking around. "Whoever you are, show yourself," he said ready to fight if he had to.

Suddenly an old man came out from behind the bushes. He looked ancient with wrinkled leathery skin, no hair, and a few missing teeth. He wore very old fashioned fire nation clothing, the kind Aang had seen people wear when he had come to the Fire Nation as a kid, long ago before the war started.

"Who are you?" Aang asked lowering his guard a little bit.

"I should be asking you. What do you think gives you the right to take one of these fire lilies?!" the old man said angrily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I wanted to take one for my girlfriend."

The man rolled his eyes. "That's what they all say. You can't have one!"

Aang glared at him. "They don't belong to you."

"No, but they belong to the world," the man said. "These are the last fire lilies in existence. Oh sure, hundreds of years ago they used to be everywhere in the Fire Nation. But greedy young men like you always wanted to pick one for your girlfriend. And what's your girlfriend going to do with it huh? Wear it for a day and then throw it away, that's what! You can't have a fire lily, end of story."

Aang admired the man for wanting to protect these flowers so badly. He could tell that by whatever had happened in this man's long life, this was all he had left. Aang himself had a deep reverence for nature and living things, it was one of the many teachings from the monks at the Southern Air Temple that he held near to his heart.

"Okay," he said to the old man. Then turned to leave.

The man looked very confused. "Wait, you're not going to get mad?" he said dumbfounded.

Aang shook his head. "No, of course not." He started to climb onto Appa's back. "Time to go guys." He turned to the old man. "Good luck protecting the fire lilies, this is a great thing you're doing."

"Wait!" the old man exclaimed before Appa could take off.

"Yeah?" Aang said.

"Go ahead and take one."

"You mean it?" Aang said shocked at the sudden change of attitude.

"I expected you to get might and fight and try to take one anyway," the man said. "Young men are impulsive that way, I know I was. But you've surprised me. Go ahead and take one."

"Wow, thanks," Aang said. He picked the fire lily he had intended to give Katara.

"Your girlfriend is very lucky," the old man said.

Maybe that was true, but Aang could only consider himself the lucky one whenever he thought of how amazing Katara was. "I'm the lucky one." He climbed onto Appa's back. "Bye!"

With that, they started to fly back home.


	3. Dress Shopping

Chapter 3:

Dress Shopping

Katara, Suki, and Toph arrived at Kyoshi Island to get their dresses for the ball. Katara and Suki were excited. Toph only went grudgingly and was wishing more and more that she had stayed home.

"The tailors name is Junel," Suki replied as she led them down the streets. "She makes the best dresses I've ever seen. We're going to be all set for the ball."

"I still don't see why we need to get all dressed up," Toph grumbled.

"It'll be fun Toph, I promise," Katara said. "There's nothing like getting all dressed up and dancing the night away."

"I'll pass." Just for emphasis, Toph spit into the grass next to them.

The tailor shop was a little store on the main street named "Junel's." They went inside and were immediately surrounded by all kinds of beautiful dresses and suits. Fabric swatches lined the walls as well as sketches of designs.

"Junel? Are you here?" Suki called.

Junel appeared from behind a wall of fabrics. She was an older woman in her sixties with long gray hair tied into a ponytail and she was wearing a blue dress as lovely as the ones her store was covered in.

"Suki, darling, I'm so glad you're here," she said in a soft voice. "It's been so long since I've seen you, you look beautiful."

"Thank you," Suki replied happily. "These are my friends Katara and Toph."

"It's nice to meet you," Katara said. "Your work is beautiful."

"Thank you darling," Junel said. "What can I do for you ladies today?"

"We're going to the Fire Nation Ball and we were wondering if you could make us some dresses," Suki said.

"Oh yes of course! I've had so many people in here over the past few days asking for dresses for the ball. Everyone is so excited, no one outside of the Fire Nation has been able to go to the ball in years."

Junel walked over to the other side of the room and picked up a notebook. "Now, what might you ladies be looking for today?"

"Well, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe, so maybe something blue and flowing like the ocean?" Katara suggested.

"I know just the dress for you. You're a waterbender, are you not?"

"Yes, I am."

"I can tell. All water benders have that effortless ease about them. And for you Suki dear?"

"I was thinking something simple, yet elegant," Suki replied.

"I've got several things that you might like to try. How about for you Toph?"

Toph was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "Doesn't matter, I can't see it anyway."

Junel just smiled. "I've got just the dress for you too. How about you come try a few things on?"

They tried on several dresses Junel picked out for them and after deciding on things they liked, Junel told them to come back in a few hours and all of their dresses would be finished. While they waited they walked around through some of the shops and settled outside of a café with some drinks and sandwiches.

"That wasn't that bad, was it Toph?" Katara said.

"Isn't Junel the sweetest lady ever?" Suki said.

"I can't wait to see what our dresses look like," Katara said.

"I wonder what the ball will be like," Suki said thoughtfully.

"I don't know. I've never been to one before," Katara said. "Growing up in the Southern Water Tribe, it was only something a girl could dream about. We never would have had the money to put together a fancy ball."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Toph said.

"You've been to one before?"

"When you come from a rich family with very important parents it's just a kind of thing you get used to," Toph said. "It's just a bunch of snobby ass people who wasted money on some ridiculous outfits to stand around, drink wine from fancy cups, and try to get higher in society. Not exactly what I would call fun."

"I'm sure this one will be different Toph," Katara said sympathetically.

"Yeah, this is for a bunch of friends to come together and have a good time," Suki said. "None of that high society stuff."

"I hope so," Toph replied. "If I ever have to be exposed to that kind of party again, I'm going to puke."

"It's been a few hours," Katara said. "We should go see what Junel came up with for us."

They gathered their things and headed back to June's shop. Sure enough they weren't disappointed.

"I'm glad you're back ladies," Junel said when they walked through the door. "Go try on your dresses to see how they fit."

They went back to the dressing room to see how they fit. Katara's dress was strapless and blue with a wave design sewn into the side. It had a flowing skirt with a split up the side and under it were layers of fluffy flowing material. When she spun around it fanned out around her.

Suki's was a rose gold strapless bandeau top and a floor length skirt with a split up the side of the right leg.

Toph's dress was long and green with spaghetti straps and a sleeveless over jacket that buttoned and fanned out over the back of the dress. She had to admit that even though she couldn't see it in the mirror; she really did feel beautiful in it.

"Wow, thanks Junel," she said still surprised by how much she liked it.

"You're welcome darling. You ladies have fun at your ball."


	4. Unexpected Invitation

Chapter 4:

Unexpected Invitation

Preparations were under way for the Fire Nation Ball. A notice had been sent out to every kingdom that anyone who was able was invited to the ball. Zuko had the chefs preparing a massive gourmet menu and the decorators were setting up the ballroom. Everyone was bustling back and forth around the palace getting things done and asking him what they were supposed to be doing. This was becoming more tiring than any other duties he'd had since becoming Fire Lord. At one point he couldn't take it anymore and retreated to the safety of his room to have some breathing room.

He lay one the massive king sized bed with silk red sheets and let the comfort wash over him for a moment. When he had agreed to the ball, he didn't realize it would be this stressful. He kind of wished it would be over so he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. He groaned. Couldn't he have five minutes of peace?

"Go away!" he exclaimed.

The door opened anyway and Mai walked into the room. "What a way to talk to your girlfriend," she said with a smirk.

He immediately felt bad. "Sorry, I didn't know it was you…"

She sat next to him and silenced him with a kiss. His tense muscles immediately began to relax. No one else ever made him relax the way she did. It was like he could let down a wall when he was around her and just be himself.

She began to massage his shoulders. "You seem tense. What's wrong?"

"It's this damn ball," he replied. "Everyone wants me to do something. Every five seconds it's like 'Zuko, where do you want this?' and 'What do you want to do with this?' I can't take it anymore."

Mai giggled. "I think that's the anti-social part of you coming out."

He sighed. "I can't help it, people are annoying."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "How about I deal with setting up for the ball for now? You can stay here and relax."

"I think it would help me more if you stayed here with me," he said with a smirk. Before she could say another word he had her by her waist and pulled her down onto the bed next to him.

"Zuko…!" she exclaimed. Within seconds he was on top of her kissing her, his strong body pinning her down. She stopped fighting him and let herself surrender to him. After a moment he looked into her eyes and she pushed his arm. "You asshole."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you."

She hugged him. "I love you too."

He held her close to him and let the peaceful moment of just being next to her wash over him. As he kissed her neck, he didn't want to let go of her. "Stay with me," he said softly.

"I'll be back later," she said sitting up.

"Must you torture me?"

She laughed. "You relax. I'll be back in a little while." She gave him one last kiss. "Then I'll stay with you all night."

At least now he had something to look forward to.

She got up off the bed and left the room and Zuko leaned back on the pillows feeling a nap start to take over him when all of a sudden a voice startled him.

"Wow Zu-Zu, I have to say I'm impressed," Azula said smugly as she emerged from the balcony doors across the room. "The fact that you were actually able to get Mai to stay with you astounds me. Although it's a pity that you still can't get laid."

Zuko got off the bed and walked towards Azula meeting her in the middle of the room. "What the hell are you doing here?" he said angrily. "Were you out there the whole time?"

Her smirk widened. "Maybe. Lots of activity going on around here. Father would be ashamed that you opened the _Fire Nation_ Ball to the rest of the world."

"I'm not trying to follow in father's footsteps."

"You know those invitations that went around? I'm hurt that I didn't get one," her voice was dripping with fake sadness.

Zuko didn't answer. He just crossed his arms waiting to hear what she really wanted.

"I want to come."

"You're supposed to be exiled," he said flatly.

"Then un-exile me," Azula said simply.

"Why should I?"

"What a shame it would be that the first Fire Nation Ball in years that's open to everyone and you would let a little grudge get in the way of inviting your little sister."

"You shot me in the chest with lightning. It's a little more than a grudge at this point."

She ran her fingers across his cheek. "You really need to learn to let go of the past."

He slapped her hand away. "What do you really want?"

She laughed. "Who says I have to want something?"

"It's not like you to show your face around here and _not_ want something."

"What I want is to come _home_, Zuko. You had me locked away in the dungeons for all of those months and then you exiled me. I'm a changed woman Zuko. I'm 18 years old now; I'm not the same confused little girl I used to be. I've been homesick, ready to reclaim my rightful place here in the Fire Nation, and spend some time with my sweet, sweet, brother. And you're not going to let me? All because of some stuff that went down in the past?" A flicker of an evil smile quickly flashed across her face. "What would mommy-kins think?"

She's a conniving little bitch, Zuko told himself. But what justifiable reason did he have to say no to her? And his mother…would she really want him to forgive his little sister?

He sighed. "Alright, you can come."

She jumped up happily. "Yay!" Then she gave him a tight hug. "Zuko, I knew you would come around!"

He pushed her off him. "But no funny business, you hear me?" he said seriously. "You slip up _one_ time and you're out of here, you understand?"

"Don't worry Zu-Zu, I understand," she said innocently. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens, I promise."


	5. Proposal

Chapter 5:

Proposal

Katara was trying to find Aang, she had made up a new waterbending trick that she wanted to show him. She knew it would be stronger if she did it with him. Whenever she came up with something new she showed it to him and vice versa. But she looked all over the house and couldn't find him. When she came outside she found her brother and her friends with bags like they were leaving.

"Where are you guys going?" She asked.

"Zuko's house," Sokka said. "We're gonna have a bonfire."

"That sounds like fun!" Katara said. Bonfires were a big thing in the Fire Nation and they had them with Zuko all the time. "I'll find Aang and we can all go together…"

"You're not going," Sokka said.

"What do you mean I'm not going?" Katara said confused.

"Aang wanted us to tell you to meet him by the lake," Suki said. "So that's where he is. I've been looking all over for him."

"Have fun with your date," Toph said with a wink. It was as if they all knew something she didn't know.

With that the rest of them left and Katara set off to find her boyfriend.

She went to the lake nearby, they always spent time together here. It was where they had first said I love you. When she got there she was surprised to see Aang setting up a picnic.

He looked up when he saw her. "Hey Katara!" He glided over to her on an air ball and when he got in front of her he jumped off and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. "Ready for our picnic?"

"Of course," she said happily. "Did you send everyone away?" She asked suspiciously.

He smirked knowingly. "Maybe."

He led her over to the picnic and made plates of pasta and salad, always vegetarian food with Aang. And he was an amazing chef.

"So what's the special occasion?" She asked as she ate.

He kissed her cheek. "Just a little something special for my forever girl."

Once again, he made her blush and made her heart beat fast. Ever since they were kids, he never failed to have that effect on her.

She took his face in her hands and gave him a very passionate kiss. "Thank you."

Aang out down his plate.

"I got you something," he said.

"Aww Aang, thanks," she said. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the most beautiful vibrant flower she had ever seen in her life. It seemed to glow. "Wow, that's beautiful!"

"It's a fire lily," he said. "For the most beautiful girl in the entire world."

She didn't know what to say. Aang was the sweetest most loving guy in the entire world. "Thank you sweetie."

He held her hands. "There was also something I wanted to ask you Katara."

"What is it?"

"Will you go to the Fire Nation Ball with me sweetie?"

Katara giggled. "Of course I'll go with you, Aang."

He kissed her. "Awesome! Thanks baby!"

"Why wouldn't I go with you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to ask you formally." He took the flower and put it in her hair. "And I thought you'd look really beautiful with the fire lily at the ball."

"I'll wear it every day," she said. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm really excited about the ball."

"Me too. What does your dress look like?"

Katara kissed his nose. "It's a surprise silly."

He kissed her nose too. "Does it really need to be?"

"Yes it does," she said laughing.

He hugged her. "Why do you torture me?"

"You'll be fine when we're dancing the night away."


	6. Something In The Oven

Chapter 6:

Something in the oven

The ball was just a few days away. Everyone was getting excited. They were all expecting it to be a night to remember. Aang and Katara were ready to dance the night away, Zuko was just glad he wouldn't have to deal with the party planning anymore, and Toph secretly found herself slowly warming up to the idea.

The only one whose spirit was dimmed a bit was Suki when she woke up feeling horribly sick. She lay in the bed for what seemed like hours as a wave of nausea washed over her.

"Ready to go baby?" Sokka said as he came into the room ready to head out for the day. "Why are you still lying in bed?" he said curiously. He was the one who usually slept in, Suki was always up with the sun.

"Go without me Sokka, I don't feel well," Suki replied.

Sokka was immediately concerned. "I'm not going without you if you're not feeling well baby." He sat next to her and put his hand to her forehead. "You feel warm."

"Must be a fever," she replied. "What if I can't go to the ball?" she said worriedly.

"The ball is in a week, you'll be fine by then," he replied. "I think we have some soup in the kitchen. I'll make it for you really quick and then I'll go out and get you some medicine."

She held his hand. "Thank you Sokka."

He kissed her. "Anything for you Suki."

*WW*

The next afternoon Suki was out having lunch with Katara and Toph.

"It was so sweet. Look at this thing, it's amazing," Katara said showing them the fire lily Aang had given her.

"Why the fancy proposal? Obviously you were going to go with him" Toph said.

"Well you know Aang, he's a hopeless romantic. I love it though."

Suki found herself distracted from the conversation. She had been sick that morning too; it was only in the morning. That time of the month hadn't happened yet. She was starting to get worried but she was wondering if she should just go ahead and face the inevitable truth of it all.

"Hel-lo, earth to Suki," Toph said.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry," Suki replied absently.

"What's wrong? You've been so quiet all day," Katara said worriedly.

"Well, um…" Suki couldn't take it anymore, she had to tell someone. "I think I'm pregnant."

Katara and Toph looked at her in shock for a moment.

"So who's the father?" Toph said breaking the silence.

Katara elbowed her. "Toph!"

Toph laughed. "I'm joking!"

Katara turned to Suki. "So like, are you sure?"

"It's probably why I've been sick," Suki said.

"Suki, this is great," Katara said putting a comforting hand on hers. "A baby is a wonderful thing. You and Sokka are going to be incredible parents."

Suki put her face in her hands. "I know Katara, I should probably be happy. But I don't know if I'm ready for that. Sokka and I had wanted to wait at least a few more years. And I don't know how I'm going to tell him. I don't think he's ready either, I _know_ he's not. I don't know what I'm going to do…!"

"Hey, Suki, chill," Toph said. "It's all going to work out."

"Trust me, I know Sokka," Katara said. "He'll probably freak out for a minute and then he'll be okay with it."

Suki smiled. "I guess you're right."

*WW*

Little did they know Sokka had heard everything. He had been heading over to meet up with the girls and check on Suki. Once he heard the word pregnant he froze. At first he didn't know how to react, he just stood there. Then felt like he was going to faint. He ran his hands through his hair. _Him_ a father. How the hell was he going to be a father?!

He leaned against the brick wall of the shop trying to catch his breath.

A few minutes later Aang and Zuko caught up with him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Aang said noticing how pale he looked.

"You have _no_ idea," Sokka said.

"Well let's get some food, I'm starving," Zuko said starting to walk over to where the girls were sitting.

Before he could take another step, Sokka grabbed both of their collars and dragged them in the opposite direction.

"Hey! What gives?!" Zuko said.

"Yeah Sokka, we want lunch!" Aang said.

After dragging them around the corner, Sokka let go of them. "You're not going to believe this!"

"Sokka are you okay?" Aang asked.

"No, I'm not okay! I...Suki...I'm going to be a father damn it!"

Aang and Zuko were at a loss for words.

"So...Suki's pregnant?" Zuko said.

"Yes!"

"Congratulations!" Aang said excitedly.

"No, no, this is not congratulations!" Sokka exclaimed. "This is the opposite of congratulations!"

"Why?"

"I'm not ready to have a baby! I can't be a father!"

"I think you'd make a great father," Aang said encouragingly.

"What does Suki think?" Zuko asked.

"Well...I don't know. I overheard her telling Katara and Toph."

"You should talk to her about it."

"I know, I want to...but I don't want her to feel like I was eavesdropping on her. I'll wait for her to tell me when she's ready. Until then…I might possibly go insane."

"I still think you'll be a great father," Aang said.

"You think so?" Sokka said.

"Well sure," Aang said. "Remember all that time we were running away from Zuko trying not to get our heads burned off?"

Zuko glared at him. "That was a long time ago!"

"Yeah, well the point is Sokka took care of us all that time. I don't know what we would have done with him."

"But you were 12 years old. A baby is a little helpless...thing."

Zuko put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine. You and Suki are great, you'll be amazing parents."

Sokka thought about it for a moment. A little baby all his own to take care of and raise with Suki by his side. It was intimidating...yet it was almost satisfying. Maybe he could get used to this.


	7. Up To Something

Chapter 7:

Up To Something

"I'm so excited for the ball," Ty Lee said walking across the room on her hands. "Aren't you two excited?" She said to Mai and Zuko who were sitting on the couch.

"Not really," Mai said.

"No," Zuko said.

"What do you mean you're not excited?!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

"Dancing all night with strangers isn't my cup of tea," Mai replied.

"I say we dip out at ten o'clock and go off on our own," Zuko said to her.

She kissed his cheek. "I like that."

"Well I'm excited," Ty Lee said. "I had so many guys ask me to go with them. I only decided this morning who I wanted to go with."

"I see you haven't changed Ty Lee, you're as much of an attention whore as always," said Azula as she walked into the room.

Ty Lee and Mai looked at her in surprise. They hadn't seen Azula in ages.

"Aren't you supposed to be exiled?"

"Little Zu-Zu revoked my exile so I can go to the ball. If I prove myself to be a good girl I can come back home. Isn't he a sweetheart?"

Mai glared at Zuko. "Yeah, he is," she said although her voice said the opposite. Things hadn't ended well with her and Azula. In fact she didn't know if they were ever even good friends. Azula had spent all those years ordering her and Ty Lee around and belittling them. With Azula gone, she felt free, like she didn't have to step on eggshells whenever she was around. The last thing she wanted was for Azula to come back for good.

"I'm having my dress made by the finest tailor in the Fire Nation palace," Azula bragged throwing a pointed look at Mai and Ty Lee.

"That's great," Mai said sarcastically. "Although Zuko made sure that my dress was made by the finest dress maker in the _entire_ Fire a Nation. She's made dresses for all of the recent Fire Nation queens."

"I wouldn't be caught dead in it. I'm sure whatever that old hack comes up with won't be early as good as the dress made for me."

Mai stood up. "You're so full of shit Azula!"

Azula hands started glowing with blue fire. "Say that to my face bitch!" The fire shot out of her hands at Mai. Mai dodged and the tapestries on the wall behind her erupted into flames. Mai threw a knife at her and Azula also dodged and Ty Lee screamed as it nearly hit her in the face.

Zuko jumped in between them. "Both of you stop it right now!" He shouted. He turned to Azula. "Azula, get out of here!"

"Or what?" She said with a mocking smirk.

"You're uninvited to the ball."

Azula continued to smirk at him but finally turned and walked off.

"Why did you invite her?!" Mai exclaimed when Azula left.

"She's my sister…"

"She tried to kill you!"

"And she's really mean," Ty Lee threw in.

"I wanted to give her another chance," Zuko said.

"And how many chances are you going to give her Zuko? You've given her chances before. Quite frankly I think she's up to something and I don't trust her!"


	8. Date To The Ball

Chapter 8:

Date to the ball

"So what are you wearing to the ball?" Aang asked Katara again. He was just so curious and he couldn't wait to see the beautiful dress she'd had made.

They were sitting in the garden on the grounds of the Fire Nation palace along with the rest of their friends.

Katara giggled. "It's a surprise."

"That's his way of saying that he would prefer it if you weren't wearing anything," Toph said with a smirk. Sokka and Zuko started laughing while Aang and Katara's faces turned red.

"Toph!" Katara exclaimed.

Toph shrugged. "Just calling it like I see it."

Suki came back outside after going inside feeling sick once again. She hadn't told Sokka yet, she knew she should, but she was afraid of how he would react.

"I'm going to the jewelry store, who's coming?" She said.

"No thanks," Zuko said.

"Pass," Sokka said.

"I don't like jewelry," Aang said.

"I'll go," Katara said. "Toph, do you want to come?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "I'll just go for the food."

The girls went into town and started looking around the jewelry stores to find some pretty things to go with their dresses for the ball. Or at least Katara and Suki looked. Toph wasn't interested partly because she couldn't see it and also because she didn't care about jewelry.

"Have you told Sokka about the baby yet?" Toph asked Suki.

"No, not really," Suki said nervously.

"If you don't tell him he's going to notice eventually," Toph pointed out.

"I know, I know. I made an appointment with a nurse for tomorrow just to find out for sure. I don't want to get his hopes up for nothing."

"I think that's a great idea Suki," Katara said.

They finished getting what they needed and left the store.

Toph started picking rocks from between her toes.

"Toph, you're never going to get a date to the ball if you do things like that," Suki said.

"What do I need a date to the ball for?" Toph said. "You've already convinced me to get all dressed up, there's no way I'm going to be dancing around with some boy all night. I'll leave that to the rest of you."

They passed by another store that a Katara loved. "Let's go in here! I want to see if they have anything new."

"You two go ahead, I want to get a snack," Toph said. "Do you want anything?"

"Don't worry about it, we'll meet you back out here," Suki said.

Toph went in the opposite direction to a cafe. She didn't need to look pretty for a night and dance around with a boyfriend. She kept telling herself that she wasn't interested, although she'd be lying to herself if she said a small part of her didn't want a guy to care about her like Katara and Suki had.

Someone was walking towards her. She didn't know who it was until she heard the voice.

"Toph!"

She was surprised to see a tall man about her age with hair pulled into a low ponytail and deep brown eyes. "Liu?"

Liu was an old friend who used to live near her parent's estate when Toph was a little girl. Both of their parents worked together and were super rich and important so Toph and Liu had spent a lot of time together by default. Her parents had always been very protective of her because of her blindness but they must have trusted Liu or something because they let her go out and play with him whenever he was around.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Why was her heart beating so fast? She never felt this way around anyone, let alone him. Back in the day she had just thought of him as a dorky kid. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew there was something much different about him now and it was making her blush.

"Well, um, I'm going to the Fire Nation Ball," he replied. She could feel the vibration of his heart beating fast too. "So, um, are you going?"

"Yeah, I am," she replied. "I'm getting lunch, do you want to come?" Oh my god, she thought. What am I doing?! "I mean, you know, if you want to as friends...I mean…"

"I would love to Toph," he said gently.

They went into the cafe and got some sandwiches and caught up on what they'd been doing over the years since they'd seen each other. She was having a good time, she was laughing, she was blushing. She'd never felt this at ease around a guy. Was this what Suki and Katara felt like?

After lunch they left the cafe together. "I guess I'll see you at the ball," Toph said. She found herself actually feeling sad. She didn't want him to go.

"Toph, are you going to the ball with anyone?" He suddenly asked.

Her face was burning. She avoided looking at him, not wanting him to see just how embarrassed she was. "No. I mean, I'm going with my friends, but they all have dates…"

He put his hand in hers. "Will you go with me?"

"Yes, of course!" she said gripping his hands tightly.

"Great! This is awesome Toph! I'll pick you up and take you to the ball. I'll get you the most beautiful gift ever and we'll dance the night away. It's going to be so much fun!"

"I can't wait!" Toph said excitedly.

Then he did something that really surprised her. He placed a kiss on her lips.

"I'll see you later," he said.

She watched as he walked away still completely dazed. "Bye."

As she stood there Katara and Suki approached. Seeing Toph looking like she was on cloud nine and Liu walking away, they were confused.

"Who was that?" Katara asked.

"My date to the ball," Toph said happily.

"Your date?!" Katara said in shock.

"What happened to 'there's no way I'm going to be dancing around with some boy all night'?" Suki said.

"Things are different now," Toph said walking away still blissfully thinking about Liu.


	9. The Day Before

Chapter 7:

The Day Before

It was the day before the ball. Aang should have been off having fun with his friends, kissing Katara, or reviewing his dance moves. Why on earth did he have to find himself in Ba Sing Se this afternoon in a diplomacy meeting?

As the Avatar, people always wanted him to mediate their issues. That was his job, to keep balance and peace in the world. But why did they have to do this the day before the Fire Nation Ball of all things? Surely this could have been rescheduled for another day.

But here his was on a bright sunny afternoon in a meeting that was terribly uninteresting. Instead he found himself distracted thinking of Katara. He'd been fantasizing the last few days about what her dress would look like. More than that, he'd been fantasizing about taking it off at the end of the night…

"What do you think Aang?" Earth King Kuei asked.

"Hmm?" Aang said snapping out of his erotic thoughts of Katara. "Oh yeah, sure, that's fine." Admittedly he wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about, but the issue was so minimal in the first place, he was sure whatever conclusion they had come to was fine.

"Great, I would say this meeting is adjourned," Kuei said.

Aang started to leave the palace, looking forward to spending the rest of the day doing something fun. Until he was stopped outside of the door by Wang Chen, one of the Earth Kingdom's top diplomats.

"Avatar Aang," he said.

"Wang Chen," Aang said as they both bowed to each other respectfully.

"I must say, I admire your negotiation skills," Wang Chen said. "The Earth Kingdom needs that."

"I'm glad I can help."

"I trust that you are going to the Fire Nation Ball tomorrow evening?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Would you be so kind as to save a dance for my daughter Kiri?"

"Well…" Aang said not quite knowing how to respond. Katara was the only girl he had planned on dancing with all night.

"I'm sure it will help to build alliances considering Kiri's social standing," Wang Chen said. "At such a large event with public figures from all ends of the world, certainly you want to build relationships with those of high honor as well."

Getting on the good side of all of the world's top influencers through bribery of sorts wasn't what Aang was into. At the same time he wasn't sure how to politely turn down a dance with Wang Chen's daughter who was surely a nice girl and wasn't aware of her father pitching her to the Avatar for social gain. It was just one dance after all, he could dance with Katara for the rest of the ball.

"Sure, I'll look forward to it," Aang said.

"Great, you might even find that the two of you have a connection," Wang Chen said.

Aang wasn't so sure about that. He just hoped it would be over and done quickly so he could spend the rest of the evening focusing on Katara.

Meanwhile, Katara was at home with Suki sitting at the kitchen table trying to console her.

"I just don't know what to think Katara," Suki said. "This is the first day in a week that I haven't been feeling ill but what if when I go to the appointment they tell me I'm pregnant anyway?"

"Well apart from the morning sickness, have you been very tired at all?" After spending years helping the midwives in the Southern Water Tribe, Katara had a pretty good idea of what pregnancy symptoms to look for.

"All the time," Suki said.

"Any headaches? Dizziness? Soreness?"

Suki put her face in her hands and started to cry. "What am I going to tell Sokka?"

Katara put her hand on Suki's shoulder. "Just tell him the truth. Like I said, he won't be mad. Maybe a bit shocked, but he'll get over it and you two will be fine."

Toph came over to them. "Can you two stop moping around and tell me how I look?"

Katara and Suki looked up and were surprised to see Toph wearing a knee length green dress, sandals, and a pair of sparkling earrings.

"Where are you going?" Suki said in surprise.

"Are those my earrings?" Katara asked, just as surprised as Suki was.

"Yes, they are Sugar Queen. I'm going out with Liu," Toph replied.

"So things are pretty serious with you and Liu, huh?" Katara asked.

"Oh please," Toph said trying to sound indifferent. "It's just a date, it's not like we're getting married. We just wanted to spend some time together before the ball."

There was a knock on the door and suddenly Toph started to panic. "Oh my god, it's him! I'm not ready!"

"What do you mean, you look great," Suki said.

"No, I'm just...what if there's something in my teeth? Or what if my breath smells bad?"

Liu knocked on the door again.

"I'll get the door," Katara said. "Just try to calm down Toph."

Katara went to the door and sure enough Liu was there. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," Liu said. "Katara, right?"

"Yeah, Toph is right over here." She led him in but Toph was still freaking out while Suki was trying to convince her there was nothing in her teeth.

"Ahem," Katara said.

Toph immediately snapped out of it when she saw Liu. "Hi," she said trying to act natural.

"Hi Toph," he said. "You look lovely. Are you ready to go?"

"Of course."

"Have fun you love birds," Suki said as they headed for the door.

Toph gave her the finger behind her back.

Later, Suki went to the clinic to find out if she was really pregnant. The nurse had left the room and Suki waited nervously. Despite her worries, she had kind of started to warm up to the idea. She knew Sokka would be a wonderful father and this could be the start of a beautiful family for them. She put her hand on her stomach at the thought. Maybe everything would be fine.

The nurse returned.

"Well?" Suki asked in anticipation.

"You're not pregnant," the nurse said.

To Suki's surprise, her heart sank. "I'm not?"

"No, you've been running a slight fever for the past few days. You're definitely not pregnant."

"Oh okay," Suki said. "Thanks." She left the clinic to meet up with Katara who was waiting for her. The news had been disappointing but maybe it was for the best. She and Sokka would have a baby when they were ready.

"Well?" Katara asked eagerly when she saw Suki.

"I'm not pregnant," Suki said.

"You don't sound very happy."

Suki shrugged. "I guess I had started to get used to the idea."

Katara reached out and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry."

"Its okay. Maybe it's for the best right now. Sokka and I can talk about it later and have a baby when we're ready."

The two walked down the street to where they would be meeting up with Sokka and Aang for dinner. The two of them were already waiting outside the restaurant. Aang immediately reached out to give Katara a hug and Sokka went over to Suki.

He brushed her short hair out of her face and looked at her curiously. There was something wrong, he could tell. He figured she was nervous about telling him that she was pregnant. He had been dying to know for sure ever since he overheard her talking to Katara and Toph. "Is there something you want to tell me, baby?"

Suki thought about telling him about her appointment, but since she wasn't pregnant, what was really the point? She didn't want to get him all worked up over nothing. Instead she just smiled. "Nope, nothing at all."

Yet, Sokka was confused. Why was Suki so afraid to tell him? "Okay but if there's anything on your mind you'll let me know, right?"

She reached out and gave him a hug and a kiss. "Of course."

After having lunch with Liu, he and Toph were walking through the park hand in hand.

Toph couldn't believe how happy she was and how much fun she was having. She always said she didn't need a man to make her happy, she didn't need what Katara and Suki had. Now that she knew what it was like, she didn't want to wake up from this dream.

"I really did miss you after you left home Toph," Liu said.

"You did?" Toph said. She felt like she had literally been blushing ever since she met him.

"I did, it just wasn't the same without you. I always thought about you and wondered how you were doing. I must say, you grew up into an absolutely beautiful girl."

"Wow, thanks Liu," she said at a loss for words. They stopped walking and just held each other for a moment. "I'm so glad we're going to the ball together."

"Me too." He leaned in and kissed her. It was a sweet, passionate kiss and she found herself melting into him. She was definitely falling for him very fast and couldn't remember the last time she was this happy.


	10. Dancing The Night Away

Chapter 8:

Dancing The Night Away

The night of the ball had finally arrived. Everyone had decided to gather at Aang and Katara's house to get ready. Aang and Sokka had been banished to the living room while the girls were getting dressed up so they sat on the couch in their fancy clothes tossing grapes into the air and catching them in their mouths while they waited.

"Girls take such a long time to get ready," Aang said as he caught a grape.

"Seriously, at this rate we're going to miss the ball," Sokka said. "Would you three hurry up?!" he called.

"Shut up Sokka!" Katara yelled back.

A few minutes later, the girls emerged wearing their new dresses. Their hair and makeup were also done and they were wearing sparkling jewelry.

Aang and Sokka were stunned into silence.

"Wow…" Sokka said as he looked Suki up and down.

"Do you like the dress?" Katara asked knowing how Aang had been dying to see it over the last few days.

Aang went over to her still amazed by how stunning she looked. "I love it," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "You look beautiful."

There was a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" Toph said knowing it was Liu. She ran over to get the door wondering why she was so excited all of a sudden. But when she opened the door, just knowing he was there for her, it made her heart explode with joy.

"Hi Toph," he said. Like Aang and Sokka, he was also amazed by how beautiful she looked. What was more, instead of being pinned up in its usual style, her long black hair cascaded down her back making her look even more gorgeous. "You look amazing."

"Thank you," Toph said wishing she could hide the fact that she was blushing again.

"Everyone ready to go? The ball starts soon," Sokka said.

"Yeah, let's go," Suki said.

They all went outside and climbed on Appa for a ride to the Fire Nation palace.

The palace was alive with lights and music. People from all over were seen coming in wearing the most beautiful suits and dresses. Zuko stood on the balcony watching them all come in, staying on the lookout for his friends. It was only the beginning of the night and he was already exhausted. One thing was for sure, he would be glad when it was over and his house was finally quiet.

Mai approached him and stood next to him to watch all of the people come in. "So many people."

"Too many people," Zuko said.

"Is she still coming?"

"Who?"

Mai gave him a "duh" look.

"Oh, Azula. As far as I know she is."

"I can't believe you invited her."

"She's my sister. Maybe it's about time we started over."

"Mark my words, she's planning something."

Maybe Azula was planning something, he didn't know. He knew that his mother would want him to be kind to Azula and work things out. He wanted to think that, despite her snarky attitude, Azula had changed and he wanted to give her a second chance.

He wrapped his arms around Mai to reassure her. "It's all going to be fine. Just focus on having fun."

Instead of worrying about it further, she placed a kiss on his lips. "Are we still dipping out at 10?"

"For sure." He looked over the balcony and saw Appa in the distance. "There they are."

They went downstairs and greeted their friends as they came in. "Hey you guys," Zuko said as they came through the doors.

"This is fancy as hell," Sokka said as he looked around in fascination.

"Yeah, you guys really pulled out all the stops here," Aang said.

"I'm just glad all the hard work is over from here," Zuko said. "It's tiring to plan a party this big."

"Don't you have to clean everything up afterwards?" Suki asked.

Zuko groaned. "Kill me."

They entered the grand ballroom. The Fire Nation ballroom was _huge_ and was full of people talking, dancing, and eating. There were several large food tables, other tables with expensive looking tablecloths and centerpieces for people to sit at, and there was a band playing amazing dance music.

To their surprise the first person they were approached by was Azula. Zuko's sister looked stunning with her hair pulled on top of her head and a few loose strands curling around her face. She wore a black dress with gold trim that's came down to the floor with slits on both sides showing off her red stilettos. "Hey Zu-Zu!"

Everyone else became defensive.

"What are you doing here?!" Aang said.

"Didn't Zuko tell you he invited me?" Azula said with a smirk.

They looked at Zuko questioningly.

"What did you do that for?" Sokka asked.

"Azula is going to be on her best behavior," Zuko said. He have his sister a stern look. "Aren't you?"

Azula smiled sweetly. "Of course." She turned to leave but then turned back to Mai. "Oh Mai, for your dress to have been made by the 'best dress make in the Fire Nation,' it leaves a lot to be desired."

She walked off leaving Mai steaming with anger. She lunged for Azula but Zuko held her back. "Let me kill her!" Mai exclaimed. "That crazy bitch…!"

"Come with me," Zuko said calmly. He turned to the rest of his friend. "Help yourselves. I'll meet up with you in a little while."

"May I have the first dance Toph?" Liu said holding out his hand to her.

"Of course!" Toph said letting him lead her to the dance floor.

"Let's get some food," Sokka said to Suki.

"Dance first, food later," Suki said leading him in the opposite direction of the food table.

Aang turned to Katara eager to have their first dance of the ball. "Well Katara…"

"Avatar Aang!"

He was approached by two of the Fire Nations top generals. Instead of wearing Fire Nation army uniforms like Aang had previously seen them, they were wearing fancy clothes for the ball just like everyone else.

"Hi, how are you?" Aang said.

"Fine thank you," one of the men said. "While you're here, would you mind if we have a word with you? It won't be long."

Aang glanced at Katara. He'd much rather have been dancing with here than discussing business with anyone. "Well…"

"Go ahead," Katara said. She didn't like it either but she figured it wouldn't take long and the two of them could dance the night away afterwards.

"Alright." Aang went off with them and Katara went to find a place to sit and wait for him.

After spending some time talking with the Fire Nation generals as well as some other important Fire Nation people, Aang went off to find Katara. However, he didn't get very far before he was stopped by Wang Chen.

"Aang, I'm so glad I found you," Wang Chen said. "This is my daughter Kiri," he said gesturing to the girl next to him. She was Aang's age and was very pretty with long black hair and was wearing a flowing pink dress.

"Hi Aang," Kiri said flirtatiously.

"Hi," Aang said politely.

"Would this be a good time for a dance?" Wang Chen said.

He'd much rather have shared the first dance of the night with Katara. "Well, actually, I…"

"I'm sure you two will get along very well," Wang Chen said pushing them together.

Aang stumbled onto the dance floor and Kiri quickly pulled him into a dance.

"Come on, let's dance!" she said.

Aang felt trapped at this point and fell into step with her on the dance floor. Kiri rambled to him about various topics as they danced. She was certainly very pretty, her brown eyes sparkled with excitement and the dress looked very nice on her, but it just wasn't the same as dancing with Katara.

What made it worse was that in the middle of the dance, he made eye contact with Katara across the room.

Katara was sitting at a table waiting for Aang to come over and dance with her. He had been gone for a while and she started to scan the ballroom for him. When she saw him on the dance floor with another girl, she didn't know what to think.

The girl was very pretty and was clearly flirting with him heavily. Katara couldn't help feeling a bit betrayed. This was supposed to be a night for them to dance together and have fun and this random girl was coming between them.

Kiri managed to keep him on the dance floor for two more songs before Aang managed to lead her off the dance floor.

He kissed her hand politely. "It was nice dancing with you Kiri."

Kiri blushed and giggled. "You're a great dancer Aang. And you're so handsome. How about we get some drinks?"

"Maybe later," he said. He was already looking past her trying to find Katara. "If you'll excuse me." He walked off on the search for his girl but was approached by a group of three other girls who were looking at him flirtatiously trying to grab his attention.

"Look, it's the Avatar!" one of the girls said.

"You should dance with me," another girl said taking his arm.

"No come dance with me!" said the third girl. "We can go somewhere more private and I'll make it worth your while."

Aang managed to slip away from them. "Sorry ladies, I'm already taken." He continued on his way to find Katara but then was stopped by the chief from the Northern Water Tribe.

"Ah, Avatar Aang, such a pleasure."

"Chief Arnook," Aang said graciously.

"I trust you've been enjoying the ball?"

"Certainly," he said, although he still hadn't gotten to dance with the only girl he had eyes for.

"I hope you'll have a dance with my niece Ayana," he said gesturing to the beautiful girl approaching them. "She's been talking about dancing with the Avatar for days."

"Uncle," she said giving him a look telling him he'd said too much.

"Actually, I…"

"I heard you're a great dancer," Ayana cut Aang off.

"I'll leave you two to it," Arnook said as he walked off leaving Aang at the mercy of this girl who very clearly wanted to do a little more than dance with him.

Ayana put her hands on his shoulders. "I know you'd love to dance with a Water Tribe girl."

He removed her hands. "I do, but…"

"Good, let's go!" she pulling him over to the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Toph had had a couple of dances with Liu and they were walking off to get some food.

"I have to say Toph, you've been away from home for much too long," Liu said. "Your dance skills have suffered."

Toph froze. "What's that supposed to mean?" she said defensively.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Liu said quickly. "I was just thinking of the dance skills we were taught as kids. You don't do them anymore."

"Well, I try to separate myself from all of that as much as possible," Toph replied.

"Why is that?"

"It's not what I'm into," she said as she started to piled a plate with food.

"You don't really need to eat all of that," Liu said as he poured them some drinks.

"I'm hungry," Toph replied.

"Yes but a lady doesn't need to eat that much food all at once. Wouldn't you rather have a salad?"

"I hate salad," Toph said trying to hide her slight annoyance. Liu had clearly held onto the upper class values that they had grown up with, the life she had tried to separate from as much as possible to live without restrictions. She tried not to say anything about it though, she wanted Liu to like her. "Let's go sit. Look, Katara is sitting over there."

They made their way to where Katara was sitting.

"Why are you over here all by yourself? Where's Aang?" Toph asked.

Katara crossed her arms. "Aang is over there laughing it up with all of the world leaders and dancing with all of the pretty rich girls," she said not trying to hide her anger.

"Are you serious?" Toph said in shock. All Aang had been talking about for days was how excited he was to dance with Katara all night. She was surprised he would have ditched Katara for some snobby rich girls. "That jerk."

"Aang _is _the Avatar," Liu pointed out. "I'm sure plenty of people want to dance with him and get to know him."

"But Katara is his girlfriend," Toph said. "She should come first." She took a giant bite of food. "You still deserve to have fun Katara, even if Aang is being an asshole."

Toph was right, Katara thought. She had come to this ball to have a good time and if Aang didn't want to dance with her, then that wasn't going to be her problem.

"Your right," Katara said as she stood up. "Screw Aang."

She walked throughout the ballroom talking to people and trying to have as much fun as she could. She couldn't help but notice Aang dancing with another girl, this time a Water Tribe girl, and couldn't help but feel a bit hurt. So she wasn't a good enough Water Tribe girl for him huh? She'd show him.

She pulled back her shoulders, tossed her hair, and took a deep breath as she approached the guy nearest to her. He was a tall, handsome guy with shaggy brown hair dressed in water tribe colors. "Hey," she said flirtatiously.

"Hey beautiful," he said. "I love your dress."

"Thank you," she said. As she moved closer to him, she caught a whiff of his cologne and had to admit it smelled good. "Do you want to dance?"

"I'd love to dance with a girl as pretty as you." He took her hand and led her out to the dance floor.

Aang was still dancing with Ayana and definitely found himself bored. No more mister nice guy, he told himself. Next time he was going to dance with Katara no matter who approached him next.

But then out of the corners of his eyes he spotted Katara dancing with someone else! He did a double take and sure enough he was dancing with a Water Tribe man. His heart shattered at the sight. He had completely blown it with her.


	11. Going Up In Flames

Chapter 11:

Going Up In Flames

Main observed Azula from across the room. Her former friend had been going around the room flirting with men and had plenty of dances with guys who were simply mesmerized by the stunning Fire Nation princess. Azula commanded the room as she always had before the war, before her imprisonment, and before her exile. If any of that bothered her, she didn't let it show. The whole time, a cocky smile remained on her face.

Mai still didn't trust her. She still thought Zuko was too forgiving. After all that had happened, she had a hard time believing that Azula was here just for the fun like everyone else was.

Zuko approached her. "Are you having fun?" he said with a knowing smirk.

"I have to say big parties aren't really my style," Mai said. "How about you?"

"It seems like I've greeted everyone in the world by now," Zuko replied.

Mai put his arms around his neck. "Sounds like you need to relax. How about we dance?"

They went out to the dance floor and twirled around with the other couples. Zuko had to admit that he agreed with Mai, big parties weren't his style either. He still planned on leaving the party at 10.

He looked down at Mai. She certainly was stunning that night with her long hair in a half one-half down look, dark smokey eye shadow and red lips, and red form-fitting dress with off-the-shoulder red sleeves. Being with her made the party all the more bearable.

The song went on and as his gaze wandered, and he locked eyes with Azula. She was dancing with some man from the Fire Nation that he didn't know, but when her eyes met his a mischievous smile crept onto her face. He just couldn't figure it out. What was his sister hiding?

"What are you looking at?" Mai asked.

Zuko snapped out of his thoughts about Azula's evil schemes. This was supposed to be a fun night. He was dancing with a beautiful girl. He should have been focused on her, not his insane sister. He would deal with Azula later. He reasoned with himself Azula most likely wasn't planning anything anyway.

"You," Zuko replied with a smile before he kissed her.

They danced to a few more songs and by then it was about an hour into the party. It was time he addressed the crowd and thanked them for coming.

He went up to the stage at the front of the room where the band had stopped playing to give him time to speak.

"Attention everyone!" Zuko said.

Everyone slowly stopped what they were doing to hear what the fire lord hard to say.

"I want to thank all of you for coming," Zuko said. "This os the first time in 100 years that the Fire Nation Ball is open to everyone outside of the Fire Nation and I'm so glad that all of you are here to make this possible. And…"

"That's all well and good Zu-Zu. You give such sappy speeches," Azula said as she walked up the steps to the stage to approach him.

What was she thinking, he thought. "Azula…"

"What a way to show your dominance. The Fire Nation has become weak under _your_ reign!"

Across the room, Aang had managed to pry one of the girls off of him and became alert when he saw what Azula was doing. He wasn't surprised that Azula was planning something and he was prepared to step in and defend Zuko.

Toph had been sitting with Liu. At the sight of Azula trying to pick a fight, she also felt like she had to do something and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Liu asked.

"Zuko might need help," Toph said. "His sister is insane, I wouldn't put it past her to try something."

"You should sit and let him handle it. You'll mess up your dress."

Toph almost laughed. "Trust me, the _last_ thing I care about is my dress." She left Liu and made her way across the ballroom. She stopped when she found Sokka and Suki. "What the hell does she think she's doing?"

"Trying to crash the party," Suki said.

"And you'd do better?!" Zuko said to Azula angrily.

"You were never meant to be fire lord Zuko. You were never cut out for it. You don't rule with a tough enough hand. It was always me that was supposed to be the fire lord, father said so himself. You should step down and let the true fire lord take your place."

"Absolutely not! Now get off the stage!"

Azula just smirked. "I knew you wouldn't come quietly." Her hands blazed with blue fire and she shot it straight at Zuko knocking him off the stage.

At that moment chaps rang out throughout the room. People scattered, some running away screaming, to get away from the impending fight. Once Azula struck, Fire Nation soldier also marched through the doors. In a coordinated attack, they blasted fire throughout the room trying to take down people at the ball and anyone who tried to stand in their way.

Zuko managed to stand up and saw Azula standing over him on the stage aiming more fire at him.

Before she could strike him again, Katara jumped in front of him and blasted her in the chest with water sending her falling backwards. Katara then bent down next to Zuko. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Zuko said, angry with himself that he had been so easily duped by Azula. "I can't believe I thought she had changed."

"That's your problem Zuko!" Azula said. "You're too trusting! You're unfit to be the fire lord!"

"Speak for yourself!" Aang said as he charged at her. She tried to hit him with more fire but Aang was faster. He deflected it with a fire blast of his own and then threw her across the room with an air bending move.

A group of Fire Nation soldiers came to her defense and Zuko, Aang, and Katara busied themselves fighting them.

Meanwhile Toph, Sokka, and Suki, who were closer to the center of the ballroom, fought the other soldiers who were terrorizing the guests. Sokka and Suki tag teamed with their sword and fan and Toph used a few earth bending moves of her own. She knocked one of the soldiers out of the way then paused to toss away her shoes. Without them, she could feel the ground and see what was going on so much better and a sense of relief overcame her as she continued to fight.

Karara was busy fighting one of the soldiers and while she managed to knock one of them aside, another was coming up behind her preparing to blast her in the back with fire.

Aang noticed and quickly ran to her defense blowing the soldier away with air.

"Thanks sweetie," Katara said as she locked eyes with him.

Aang was relieved to see Katara giving him a soft look and calling him sweetie. Maybe she was over what had happened before.

The feeling was short lived. Katara remembered why she was mad at him and then turned away. "Come on. Zuko needs help."

Aang sighed. Okay so Katara hadn't fully forgiven him. He'd settle this after the fight.

Aang, Katara, and Zuko managed to subdue the group of soldiers who had been attacking them. Azula then appeared out of nowhere zooming towards them with blue fire propelling her. "That's all very impressive, but you're not going to win." Aang and Katara ducked out of the way as Azula shot more blue fire at them and Zuko did the same. Azula landed on a pillar above them. "Get a load of this Zu-Zu!"

Her hands sparked with lightning, it flashed around her as the electrical current created a hazy glow around her. People at the party really began to freak out and started running for the nearest door but were blocked by more Fire Nation soldiers.

Azula shot the lightning at Zuko, expecting to catch him off guard and shoot him in the chest just like she did a few years ago. Only this time, her intention wasn't to leave him alive.

To her surprise, the lightning didn't shoot through Zuko's chest and incapacitate him. He managed to catch the lightning and the electricity now blazed around him. The cocky triumph on Azula's face turned to shock and then it turned to fear. Since when did Zuko learn to redirect lightning?! Even worse...was he going to redirect it at her?

Zuko felt the rush as the lightning circulated around him. The fear in Azula's eyes didn't slip past him. He knew that she had intended to kill him with the lightning and now she was afraid he would do the same to her.

He then locked eyes with Aang and Katara. He nodded at them as if to say "go get her!"

Zuko finally let go of the lightning. Azula's scream echoed through the room until she realized that the lightning was flying in the opposite direction. It flew through a window and shattered glass hit the floor.

She then turned to Zuko triumphantly. "HA!"

Before she could say anything more, she was tackled by Aang and Katara.

Across the room, Sokka, Suki, and Toph had managed to subdue most of the Fire Nation soldiers and they were now being handcuffed and escorted out of the room by actual Fire Nation soldiers who were on their side.

Aang and Katara managed to hold Azula down while other guards came to cuff her as well.

Zuko watched with his arms crossed. "Take her to her old cell. She'll feel right at home."

"You coward!" Azula shouted at him as she was taken away. "You miserable, insufferable coward!"

"You're the coward Azula," Zuko said. "I gave you a chance and you blew it."


	12. Cooling Down

Chapter 12:

Cooling Down

After taking down Azula, everyone was still recovering from the fear of Azula and her Fire Nation cronies trying to take over the ball. Water Tribe members had helped put out the fires and the party was slowly going back to the way it was before.

Toph found Liu and went over to him. "Azula may be crazy, but that fight was awesome," Toph said.

Liu looked down at her and noticed that her shoes were now gone and her hair was unkempt. "Wow Toph…"

He didn't sound as enthusiastic as he was before. "What?" she said.

"I just...didn't realize you had all of that in you. Is this the kind of thing you've been doing since you left home?"

"Yeah...what are you getting at?"

"It's just...crazy, that's what it is. That you constantly risk your life doing this wild bending stuff. It's so improper."

"Improper?!" Toph said incredulously. "I just helped save your ass and everyone else here! What's so improper about that?"

"It's unbecoming of a lady of your background. We should be letting the Avatar handle that type of stuff, it's his job."

"The Avatar is my friend and he needed my help," Toph said growing more and more angry by Liu's implications.

"It's unnecessary."

"If you've got something to say to me Liu, just say it!"

"If you want to be my girlfriend, you need to stop acting like some kind of deranged person. It's unbecoming and it doesn't look good."

"Well news flash buddy, this is who I am! Bending is a part of me and protecting my friends is my duty! I left behind all of that high society crap to do what I want and live my life on my terms and if you don't want a girlfriend like that, then that's your problem!"

He turned away from her. "Then I guess that's where we draw the line."

Toph looked at him in shock for a moment. So that was it? If he didn't want to be with her just because she didn't act like some prissy rich girl then that was just fine with her. She would rather stay true to herself.

That didn't mean it didn't still hurt.

Suddenly the ball seemed so much less interesting to her. She left the ballroom and went outside. The moon shone over the palace and the crickets chirped in the background. She sat on a bench next to a lake and broke down crying.

Back inside, Suki had gone off to find Katara. She had noticed the tension between her and Aang during the fight and wanted to make sure she was okay.

She found her friend at the edge of the ballroom looking like she was holding back tears.

"Hey, what happened? I haven't seen you with Aang all night," Suki said.

"It's probably for the best," Katara said. She had tried to distract herself from Aang ignoring her by dancing with another man but it didn't help. If anything, it just made her more upset.

"Let's go for a walk," Suki said. She needed some space as well. Sokka had been acting weird all night, she couldn't figure out what was going on with him.

The two of them left the ballroom and walked around the palace grounds while Katara told Suki about everything that had been going on.

"That's so unlike him," Suki said when Katara was finished. "You should talk to him."

"I know, but I almost don't even want to," Katara said. "If Aang wants to dance with someone else, who am I to stop him?" She heard the faint sound of someone crying. "Do you hear that?"

They followed the sound and found Toph sitting on a bench by herself crying.

"Toph!" Suki exclaimed. She and Katara went over and sat on either side of her. "What's wrong?"

"Men are such jerks!" Toph said.

"What did Liu do?" Katara asked.

"He doesn't like the fact that I'm a fighter. He thinks it's 'unbecoming' and 'improper.' He'd rather have one of those girls that just stands next to him and looks pretty and doesn't say anything. He's just like my parents and everyone else we grew up around."

"That's horrible!" Katara said.

"You don't deserve that Toph," Suki said. "You're the best earth bender in the world and if someone doesn't appreciate that then they're not worth your time."

"Suki is right," Katara said.

"I know...but I liked him!" Toph cried. "I hate men! I hate all men!"

"All men, Toph?" Aang said as he approached them.

"You're just as bad as the rest of them twinkle toes!" Toph shouted at him. "How dare you ignore Katara all night! If she leaves you, I wouldn't blame her!"

Aang glanced at Katara and sure enough she wouldn't meet his eyes. He sighed. "I know, I know I was wrong. Katara, do you want to go for a walk with me?"

Katara hesitated for a moment but she truly did want to make things better. Finally she stood up. "Sure."

As they walked off, Suki turned back to Toph. "Are you going to be okay?"

Toph sniffed. "I'm fine. I can't believe I'm sitting here crying over some boy. What's happening to me?"

"It happens took the best of us," Suki said sympathetically.

"You should go find Sokka and keep having fun, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, trust me."

Suki gave her a hug and stood up. "Come find me if you need me."

Toph sighed as Suki walked off. She couldn't believe she had let herself get so upset over a boy, one like Liu at that. She was too good for this. She was The Blind Bandit, she was the greatest earth bender in the world, men weren't worth her time.

"Are you okay?" said a male voice.

She looked up and was surprised to see Satoru, an old friend they had met a while back at the Earthen Fire Refinery. It had been a strange series of events that had involved almost dying and her reconnecting with her father, but all the while she had developed a little bit of a crush on Satoru.

"Hi Satoru," she said trying to hide the fact that she had been crying.

"Long time no see," Satoru said. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

Satoru sat down next to her. "You look a little sad. The ball not working out for you either?"

"You could say that again," Toph said. "After that little scene with Azula, apparently I'm not refined and lady-like enough." She didn't know why she was telling him this, but, despite several years of being apart from Satoru, she felt very comfortable around him.

"That's what he said?" Satoru said incredulously. "Toph Beifong, you are nothing short of the greatest earth bender in the world. Anyone would give anything to be with someone as powerful and lovely as you…" Satoru's voice trailed off as he realized what he was saying.

Toph, however, found a smile on her face. Maybe they all weren't so bad after all. She reached over and kissed him. "Thank you Satoru."

On the other side of the palace, Aang and Katara had stopped at one of the gardens, both trying to figure out what to say.

"Katara, about earlier…"

"What were you even thinking?" Katara said as all of her frustration started to pour out. "We've been looking forward to this for weeks and every time I look up, you're dancing with someone else. We've been here for over an hour and I haven't had a single dance with my boyfriend!"

"I know, Katara. You have every right to be mad at me. All of these people wanted to talk to me and wanted me to dance with their daughters and stuff. I just felt bad telling them no and I know that's no excuse."

Katara wanted to stay mad at him, she really did, but she found herself moving closer to him and the next thing she knew her arms around him in a tight hug.

He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry sweetie."

She looked up at him into his grey eyes that were sincerely apologetic. "It's okay." There was no way she couldn't forgive him. She placed a kiss on his lips.

"I've missed you," he said. "All I've wanted to do this entire time is dance with you but every time I tried someone was trying to pull me in a different direction."

"We've still got some time," Katara said with a smile.

He gave her another kiss. "May I have this dance sweetie?"

"Of course sweetie."

They walked hand in hand back into the ballroom. As soon as they walked into the room, some more governors and leaders and pretty ladies walked over to them. Katara became worried again. Would Aang still be too nice to say no to them? At this rate, they would never be able to spend any time together during the ball.

However, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Avatar Aang…!" the people approaching said.

"Sorry everyone, I don't have time to talk right now," Aang said firmly. "Me and my girl are going to dance." He kissed her cheek. "Come on sweetie."

Katara couldn't help but smirk at the disappointment on the faces of the girls who were hoping to get their hands on the Avatar. This sexy man was all hers.

They reached the dance floor and Aang wrapped his arms around her.

"Geez, just because you're the Avatar doesn't mean you don't need any personal space. These people are ravenous," Katara said.

"It all comes with the job I guess," Aang said with a shrug. "You're more important Katara. I came here to dance with you, not talk with them or dance with all of those crazy girls, so that's what I'm going to do."

Across the ballroom, Suki and Sokka were dancing again. Sokka had been nearly driven mad waiting for Suki to tell him that she was pregnant. She hadn't shown any sign of emotion about the situation for the entire night and no matter how much he hinted about it, she wouldn't say anything.

Suki had been having such a fantastic time at the ball, although she felt bad that Toph and Katara's night hadn't gone as planned. However, despite the joy she felt at being at the ball with Sokka, she did notice he had been acting strange all night and she couldn't figure it out. Even now as they slow danced, he seemed to be studying her intently all the while looking slightly distressed.

"Sokka…" she began deciding now was a good time to finally ask him what was going on.

Sokka, however, couldn't take the suspense anymore. "You don't have to say anything Suki. I already know."

"What are you talking about?" she said confused.

"I know what you've been hiding and I know that you've been afraid to tell me. But it's okay, I'm completely okay with it." He looked into her eyes seriously. "I swear I'll always be by your side. There's no one else I'd rather do this with."

Suki was still confused. "Sokka, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Why was she being so difficult about this, he thought. "I know you're pregnant."

Now she was surprised. "Sokka, what...how did you know…?"

"I overheard you talking to Katara and Toph," Sokka said. "You said you were afraid to tell me. I didn't want you to think I was eavesdropping on you, so I was trying to wait for you to tell me yourself."

"But I'm not pregnant," Suki said.

Sokka's jaw could have hit the floor. "You're not?"

Suki laughed a bit. "No, I'm not. I thought I was. But I went to a doctor's appointment yesterday and found out it was a false alarm."

"Oh," Sokka said, surprising even himself by how disappointed he sounded.

"What's wrong?" Suki asked.

"Nothing. It's probably for the best that we wait. I will admit the idea had been starting to grow on me."

Suki couldn't help but smile. "Me too."

"Do you think maybe later...I mean, you know when you're actually ready...that you'd want to…?"

She cut him off by kissing him. "Yes. Of course.


	13. The Good Fire Lord

Chapter 11:

The Good Fire Lord

Some time later, they were all sitting at a table eating cake. Aang and Katara were now hand in hand as usual, the first hour of the ball was long behind them now. They'd had so many dances that they were now exhausted but, as flustered as they were, it was clear that the two of them couldn't be happier. Sokka was no longer worried about Suki being pregnant and was now relaxed enough to eat a giant piece of chocolate cake. Meanwhile, Toph had decided to spend time with Satoru and the two were sitting together as well after reacquainting him with the group.

Mai turned to Zuko. "Hey, it's 10:00."

"Finally," Zuko said. He stood up. "Let's go."

"Where are you going?" Katara asked.

"We're done for the night," Zuko said as Mai stood up with him.

"It's only 10:00! Are you serious?!" Sokka said.

"The fun meter ran out for us an hour ago," Mai said.

"Aren't you the host though?" Sokka said.

Zuko shrugged. "You'll all be fine without me. You can come get me if another crazed relative comes trying to take the throne." He put his arm around Mai's waist and the two walked off.

The two of them left the ballroom and started in the direction of Zuko's room but he paused. "Hey, there's something I want to do really quick."

"I'll meet you in your room. I've got to take these heels off. My feet are killing me."

He kissed her. "I won't be long."

He went in the opposite direction and made his way down to the dungeons of the palace. He nodded at the guards who gve him a skeptical look although they had a hunch about why he was here, then walked past them and down the dark hallway. Finally he paused at the cell he was looking for.

She was still wearing her dress. Her blood-red stilettos were left in the corner of the cell. The chains around her wrists shuffled as she turned to face him.

"What are you doing down here? Changed your mind about my offer?" She chuckled but there was no humor in her voice.

"I want to know why you did it," Zuko said. "I was giving you a chance. I had every intention of welcoming you home."

Azula's lower lip trembled for a moment and then she scowled and turned away from him. "I was simply taking back what's rightfully mine."

"What would mother say?" he said using her words against her.

Azula's hands burned blue with rage. Zuko jumped back as she turned back to him and a barrage of blue fire shot at him from between the bars of her cell.

"Get out!" Azula shouted.

Zuko observed her for a moment. The blue fire circling her hands, her hair that was half fallen out of its pretty updo, and he noticed there was something else besides rage on her face...pain maybe.

It made Zuko sad, but that didn't mean he could let her out. He had learned his lesson.

He turned and left. As he walked down the hallway, he froze when he heard another voice.

"She's right you know," a deep voice said. "You were never meant to bear that crown."

Zuko turned to find Ozai sitting in the cell on his right. His father's clothes were in rags, his greasy hair hung around his face, and he regarded Zuko with the same cocky look Azula had earlier.

"You're wrong," Zuko said. "It was always meant for me."

Ozai chuckled. "You'll never be a great leader. You'll run the Fire Nation into the ground."

A long time ago, those words would have hurt him. But he had long since learned not to let his father bait him. "I'm a better leader than you ever were. Tonight was proof of that."

With that, he walked towards the exit holding his head high although he could feel Ozai's glare on his back and Azula crying further down the hallway. They weren't his problem. He knew he haad done the right thing by holding the ball; he had done what a good fire lord would do.


End file.
